Picker-stick buffer



May 17, 1938. R HA 2,117,956

' PICKER STICK BUFFEI Filed Jan. 29, 1936 ML 70 A bin/Pr Patented May 17, 1938 a p a i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PICKER-STICK BUFFER Milton R. Haupt, Shamokin, Pa. Application January 29, 1936, Serial No. 61,415

Claims. (01. 139-166) i This inventionrelates to textile looms and toward the inner end of the slot to throw or more particularly to means for cushioning the pick the shuttle H through the shed. If the motion of the picker-stick at the end of its shutpicker-stick is stopped suddenly at the end of its tle actuating stroke. stroke, it is apt to break, or the picker is apt It is an object of the invention to provide a to be thrown from the end of the picker-stick unitary picker-stick bulfer which is made of by the whip-like action thereof. Buffers have molded rubber of such hardness as to insure its been used at the inner end of the lay slot for long life in constant use, and withal, a buffer overcoming the momentum of the picker stick of this character which issufliciently resilient at the end of its pic O t the kno 0 and elastic to cushion the movement of the pickdevices have sufferedfrom the serious objections er-stick atthe termination of its picking move'- that their frequent replacement has been found ment in a manner that insures against breakn ssary due o r pid loss f h s ry age of the same and against loss of the picker silient characteristics. Furthermore, these prior because of sudden snap action of the pickerdevices have been of comparative y complicated stick. structure which has rendered their use a heavy 15 Other objects of the invention, more or less expense. Resort has, therefore, commonly been broad than those stated above, together with had to devices which have been a compromise bethe advantage inherent, will appear in the foltween quality and cost. lowing detail description of the elements con- I is a p im ry o j f h invention to p stituting the invention; and the scope of the duce a picker-stick buffer which combines the protection contemplated will appear from the highest St nd ds o efficiency th ow cost of claims; production. It is, therefore, the purpose of this In the accompanying drawings which are to invention to construct a picker-stick buffer of a be taken as part of this specification and in sin le pi of melded rubber which is i n y which is shown a merely preferred form of emhard and rigid to Wear ind y and to bodiment of the invention for purpose of illuspa to Such rubber b11561 h required degree m tration only, Figure 1 is a front elevational view of elasticity. To this end the buffer comprises of a lay with parts broken away to show una body portion which is p e e ab y greater in derlying structure; thickness than the width of the picker-stick 30 Figure 2 is a detail sectional view showing the and, in fact, may be limited in thickness only 30 picker-stick in contact with the buffer; by t dt 0f the l y S e bo y 0 V Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fighas a lay contacting face portion 32 which is we 2; and disposed at substantially a right angle to the Figure 4 is a perspective view of the buffer plane of the base portion 34.v The picker-stick forming the subject matter of this invention. contacting face 36 of the body 30 is disposed in 3 The lay or beam II) which extends across the a rearwardly inclining plane with respect to the a front of a loom has any suitable shuttle box plane of the lay contacting face 32. The plane I! attached thereto. And, as in the usual conof the face 36 is substantially parallel to the instruction, the shuttle box I2 is adapted to rener face of the picker-stick l8 in its buiier con- 40 ceive a shuttle l4, the nose of which is adapted tacting position so that contact therebetween is 40 to contact a recess in the picker l6 which is effected along a relatively long surface. attached to the picker-stick l8. The picker-stick In locating the buffer, it will be evident, the IB is pivoted at its lower end (not shown) and body portion 30 is placed into the lay slot 20 extends upward t u a t 20 in the y from below so that the base portion 34 is in. 5 in which it is adapted to oscillate from its pivot ntact with the bottom of the lay at one side for th p p of w n the uttle through of the slot 20. The buffer is moved to the inner the sheds formed by t eparation of alternate end of the slot 20 so that the face 32 of the body warp threads. portion 30 contacts the lay at the inner end of In the operation of a typical loom, the pickerthe slot. When this position has been attained stick I8 carrying the picker it rests against a the buffer is secured to the lay by any means picker cushion 22 at the outer end of the slot such as a screw 38 which passes through the 20, just prior to the picking stroke. With the base portion 34 of the buffer and into the lay 10. parts in this position and with the nose of the Ordinarily, rubber which is sufficiently resistant shuttle I4 resting in the recess of the picker to wear is not sufliciently elastic to provide the IS, the picker-stick is given a violent movement necessary cushioning effect, and to the end that 55 the durability of relatively hard rubber may be utilized, in accord with this invention, buflers of such material have imparted thereto additional elasticity. One way of adding elasticity to a 7 rubber buffer is illustrated in the drawings wherein the lay contacting face 32 is shown as a series of projections or teeth 40, formed by cutting away portions of the body along this face.

With a construction such as described, the buffer is adapted to have a slight body movement which augments the elasticity of the rubber to provide the necessary cushioning action; This action can best be understood by comparing Figures 1 and 2. In Figure 1 the buffer is shown located at the inner end of the lay slot 20 and the picker-stick I8 is shown at the outer end of the lay slot prior to the picking stroke. With no pressure applied to the body 30, the teeth or projections 40 along the face 32 extend from the body 30 in a horizontal plane. When the pickerstick is actuated to the inner end of the lay slot 20 its force will be checked by the buffer body 30 as shown in Figure 2. Since the wall 36 of the body 30 is. inclined in the plane of the picker-stick and the force from the picker-stick acts through the body of the buffer in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the face 36, a component of such force will act at an angle to the face 32 with the tendency to move the body 30 downwardly. Contact of the face 32 with the lay, however, serves to resist such downward movement with the result that the teeth 40 are distorted out of their original plane to permit the body 30 to move. This action is illustrated in Figure 2 wherein the picker-stick i8 is in contact with the buffer face 36 and the force has acted to distort the teeth or projections 40 to a plane inclined upwardly from their normal horizontal position.

The principle of weakening a portion of the buffer to permit distortion may manifest itself in other forms and it is, therefore, expected that the practice of the invention be not limited except as limitations may be imposed thereon by the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary molded rubber picker-stick buffer for looms comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to the underside of a lay, a body portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said base portion and adapted to lie in the path of a picker-stick within a lay slot, said body portion comprising an inner substantially vertical face adapted to contact a lay portion, a picker-stick contacting face inclined rearwardly with respect to said first mentioned face and in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of a picker-stick in its buffer contacting position, and means passing through said base portion for attaching said buffer to a lay.

2. A unitary molded rubber picker-stick buffer for looms comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to the underside of a lay, a body portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said base portion and adapted to lie in the path of a picker-stick within a lay slot, said body portion comprising an inner substantially vertical face adapted to contact a lay portion, a picker-stick contacting face inclined rearwardly with respect to said first mentioned face in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of a picker-stick in itsbuifer contacting position, a weakened zone substantially parallel to said inner face whereby the elasticity of said picker-stick contacting face is augmented, and means passing through said base portion for attaching said buffer to a lay.

3. A unitary molded rubber picker-stick buffer for looms comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to the underside of a lay, a body portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said base portion and adapted to lie in the path of a picker-stick within a lay slot, said body portion comprising an inner substantially vertical face adapted to contact a lay portion, a pickerstick contacting face inclined rearwardly with respect to said first mentioned face in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of a pickerstick in its buffer contacting position, a weakened zone disposed along said inner face whereby the elasticity of said picker-stick contacting face is augmented, and means passing through said base portion for attaching said buffer to a lay.

4. A unitary molded rubber picker-stick buffer for looms comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to a, lay, a body portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said base portion and adapted to lie in the path of a picker-stick within a lay slot, said body portion comprising an inner substantially vertical face adapted to contact a lay portion, a picker-stick contacting face inclined rearwardly with respect to said first mentioned face in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of a picker-stick in its buffer contacting position, and a plurality of cut-out portions within said body disposed in a zone substantially parallel to said inner face comprising an area of greater elasticity than the remainder of said body portion whereby the elasticity of said picker-stick contacting face is augmented.

5. A unitary molded rubber picker-stick buffer for looms comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to a lay, a body portion extending substantially perpendicularly from said base portion and adapted to lie in the path of a pickerstick within a lay slot, said body portion comprising an inner substantially vertical face adapted to contact a lay portion, a picker-stick contacting face inclined rearwardly with respect to said first mentioned face in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of a picker-stick in its buffer contacting position, and a plurality of cut-out portions along the inner face of said body portion comprising a zone of greater elasticity than the remainder of said body portion whereby the elasticity of said picker-stick contacting face is augmented.

MILTON R. HAUPT. 

